Eastern Meets Western: Humor in the Lab as Scientists From Different Continents Agree on AI Development ‘No-Go’ Zones
“Western, Chinese scientists draw AI development ‘red lines’”
“In a joint statement published on Tuesday, a group of Western and Chinese scientists working at the coalface of artificial intelligence development called for global policy-makers to draw ‘red lines’ around certain uses of the technology, just as nuclear weapons researchers did with their own field of study during the Cold War.”
The words “red lines” were thrown around in a good-to-know-this gesture by a motley crew of Western and Chinese scientists waxing lyrical about AI. They wish for the global policymakers to limn these “red lines” around some uses of AI technologies, not unlike the decorum maintained around nuclear weaponry during the Cold War. It’s fascinating how they presume to give Cold War-style lessons to policymakers from their AI trenches.
Further down the rabbit hole, the authors prudently declare that they would rather wash their hands off AI used to manipulate individuals on a large scale. So, apparently, tools to manipulate perceptions en masse are a no-no. They do not want to build the Frankenstein, in case you were wondering. They also shared how they are averse to the development of AI applications “designed to deceive or to incite individuals to violence.” Well duh! It’s like professing an aversion to dinosaurs roaming city streets or lava flowing down motorways.
However, their promise not to actively participate in developing “AI applications for large-scale social experiments” does seem like a reasonable line in the sand. It’s comforting to see that they’re wary of turning our lives into an episode of “Black Mirror.”
They continued by calling for “transparency in the development and use of AI.” The idea of transparent development and use of AI is so cliché at this point that it’s almost endearing. Like asking for a bar of chocolate to be sweet. Could it be any more obvious? Nevertheless, blessing their hearts for reminding us mere mortals that transparency is key, the rallying cry of tech truisms.
To conclude, a joint statement is released with a couple of platitudes and enough red lines to make a Morse code translator dizzy. But it’s heartening to see that the boffins building the future have a semblance of a conscience. So, lest we let our guard down and peace on earth becomes a quaint anachronism, these stewards of artificial intelligence want to ensure they don’t unwittingly recreate Skynet from the “Terminator” series. Who knows, maybe there’s magic in the air after all. We might sleep safely, knowing our Arnold Schwarzenegger-style AI overlords won’t be pounding on our doors at midnight. At least not anytime soon. Fingers crossed.